


TMNT Minifics

by servantofclio



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-08 06:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5487506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/servantofclio/pseuds/servantofclio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short ficlets about the turtles, usually previously posted to tumblr. Mostly 2012-verse, at least loosely.</p><p>#7: things you said after you kissed me (Apritello)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dance it out (Leo)

**Author's Note:**

> Set shortly after episode 3.01, "Within the Woods." The prompt was "an uncontrollable urge to dance."

The only reason Leonardo turned on the music was to drown out the sounds of his brothers, Casey, and April sparring outside.

He just wasn’t up to it. He might have been able to pull it together enough to help his family when it counted, but he’d been shaky and sore the next day, and he was still paying it for it days later. He’d tried sparring with Raph yesterday, and it had left him aching everywhere. His knee was just the worst of it, but it was way too clear that he needed time to get back some strength and flexilibility after being unconscious for months.

Leo didn’t want to hold the others back, but he didn’t feel like watching, either. Not today. Sure, he could do some stretching and an easy workout outside with them, but watching the others move made him feel tense, and almost sick to his stomach. He’d never had to be jealous of any of his brothers before, not like he was now. Everything looked easy when they did it, free and flowing and strong, and everything he did pulled on stiff muscles and aching joints.

So he’d told them to go ahead without him, and pretended he was going to take a nap, even though he wasn’t sleepy. Raph and Mikey had traded worried looks, though Donnie had looked serious and told him to get some rest before they trooped out. Leo was sick of the looks, too. They weren’t supposed to have to worry about him like that.

He could still hear the shouts and laughter and thuds of practice through the windows, though.

Leo gritted his teeth and contemplated shoving his head under a pillow. It would only help so much, though. He could hear Mikey taunting Raph, and Donnie and Casey trading insults, and if he closed his eyes it was too easy to visualize what was happening.

Or to remember being at home, in their own dojo, with the familiar worn rugs underfoot, and the lingering smell of incense, and the precious screens and paintings that Sensei had brought from Japan. And Sensei…

Leo paced around the living room, aimless, trying to shut the memories out of his head. Maybe the light exercise would help his knee. He could still hear the sounds from outside, though, until his eye lit on the old music player Casey had been fiddling with.

When he pushed play, some old pop song started playing—peppy and electronic-sounding and tinny on the little speakers. He didn’t know the song, but it drowned out the calling and giggling coming from outside, at least.

Leo kept pacing while the music played, trying to loosen up tense muscles and keep himself from limping, and before he knew it, he was stepping in time to the music. A sway here, another step, and a cautious turn, testing his weight on his bad knee; it still hurt, but not so badly, if his steps were quick and light. It wasn’t really much of a dance, but it felt good anyway. A Somehow the beat of the music and the cheerful melody helped to chase some of the aches away.


	2. Donnie doesn't forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donnie doesn't forget. (from a prompt by franda)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after episode 3.02.

There are lots of things he doesn’t forget—equations and chemical formulas and wiring diagrams—he’s always soaked up information like a sponge.

But he makes a special point of remembering everything to do with April—her smile, the way her hair moves in the breeze, the gleam in her eye when she masters a new move, the sound of her laughter—

He remembers the bad stuff, too, though, the look of devastation on her face when she lost her father, again, the way her eyebrows pulled down in anger, the sharpness of her voice when she said she never wanted to see them again… and even the stuff that wasn’t real, was part of a hallucination or something else.

Most of all, he doesn’t forget how her lips feel on his cheek, or on his mouth, and how her lips tasted a little salty and a little like honey all at once.

But she turned and walked away after, and he remembers that, too, even though he has no idea what to make of it, and he’s a little afraid to ask.


	3. Have you lost your damn mind? (Donnie and April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First line prompt: "Have you lost your damn mind!?"

“Have you lost your damn mind!?” 

“What? It’s fine. Everything’s fine,” Donnie says. “I’m pretty sure I worked out the containment on the plasma chamber so its probability of structural failure is low, and–”

“Are you even listening to yourself? You cannot build your brother a rocket-powered skateboard!”

“Ah-ah!” Donnie lifts a finger and grins manically. “That’s where you’re wrong, April, because I _can_ and I _have_!”

April reaches out and snatches the screwdriver out of his hand, and then peers at his pupils and shaking hands. “When was the last time you slept, Donnie?”

“I don’t know. What day is it?”

“Oh, for the love of–” April stares around at the array of imprudent, impractical engineering projects surrounding her. She’s only been gone a week. “What, are you just injecting the caffeine directly into your bloodstream now?”

Donnie beams. “That’s actually a great idea!”

“No, it’s not, it’s a terrible idea. Get out of this lab and go to bed.”

“But–”

She points toward the door, glaring. Donnie stares back and finally shrinks. “Don’t you think you’re being a little unreasonable?”

“Go,” she says, and points, with her sternest expression, until he shuffles out of the room, shoulders drooping and still sneaking reproachful looks at her. She’s going to have to follow just to make sure he stays put. She’ll find some kind of incentive.


	4. I'm in (Raph, Donnie, April, Casey, and the apocalypse)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you've ever had. I'm in." (sent by hotmilkytea)

It’s gotta be a bad sign when the smell of smoke and the sound of people screaming in the distance doesn’t even make you blink any more, Raph reflects.

New York City has been invaded, _again_ , the military is causing more problems than they’re actually solving, and they’ve gotten cut off from Leo and Mikey, _again_. If Fearless Leader went on some noble suicide mission this time, Raph is going to strangle him with his own hands. Once they find the pair of them, of course.

“So what’s the plan?” Casey whispers.

The four of them are ducked down between a bombed-out bodega and the wreck of somebody’s car. Casey’s got a black eye and is out of hockey sticks and exploding pucks, the ends of April’s hair are still singed, and there’s blood seeping through the bandages on Donnie’s arm. Raph kind of wants to leave the three of them here before something worse happens to them, but with their luck, an air strike would hit their location as soon as he left, so he doesn’t suggest it. 

Donnie peers over the crunched-up hood of the car and says, “Okay. We need to steal one of those tanks. And probably one of the alien mechs, too. I think if I hack into their systems, I might be able to get a fix on the others.”

“How you gonna do that with only one good arm?” Raph hisses.

Donnie shrugs. “I’ll figure something out. You got a better idea?”

Raph growls, but he doesn’t. April just nods, all grim determination. Casey cackles like it’s Christmas come early. “This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had, D. I’m in.” He grins, broad and lopsided. “Who gets to steal the tank?”


	5. Uncommon aggression (Leo)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another tiny ficlet from a prompt on tumblr; the prompt was "Loggerhead (uncommon aggression)"

Mikey’s seen his brothers angry before.

Like, Raph gets mad five times a day, and there’s shouting and threats and maybe a tussle, and then he stomps off muttering. And Donnie, Donnie doesn’t get angry as often, but there’s more noise when he does: shrieking and crashing from throwing stuff, and it’s best just to stay out of his way for a while.

But Leo, well, Mikey had thought he’d seen Leo angry, but apparently he was wrong, ‘cause right now Leo’s furious, and instead of getting loud, he’s gotten quieter. Quiet and still and his eyes have been dead-white for more than an hour, and the way he’s gone after the Foot goons this time is honestly kind of creepy. He’s hardly even drawn a weapon, like he doesn’t really need to, or maybe like he just wants to hit them with his fists. Hard. And right on point, no wasted hits. Mikey’s pretty sure he did something to the last guy’s trachea, and the one in front of them now is writhing on the ground with a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist.

Leo speaks to the guy in a calm, quiet, even voice. It might be soothing if it weren’t, well, scary. “Now,” he says, “you’re going to tell me where they’ve taken my brother, or you won’t be telling anyone anything ever again.”

The enemy ninja babbles something, an address, and Leo drops him. “Good,” he says, almost kindly. “If you’ve lied, I promise, you’ll see me again.”

He moves off into the shadows, and Mikey follows, just as silent.


	6. things you said I wasn't meant to hear (Donnie and April)

April’s window was open to the cool evening air, so Donnie could hear the sound of voices as he came over the rooftop. The words didn’t become clear until he’d ghosted his way down the fire escape.

“… dangerous, April!”

“That’s why I’m _training_ , Dad!”

Donnie froze on the verge of knocking on the window frame (it was only polite to knock first, even if you were entering by the window).

April continued, “I’m working with Master Splinter so I can take care of myself when things get dangerous!”

“And aren’t you just putting yourself in more danger? How long have you been patrolling with them, April?”

From Donnie’s position in the shadows by the window, he couldn’t see into the apartment, and they doubtless couldn’t see him. He swallowed. April had invited him over for a study session, some things she wanted to review now that the school year was starting, but he didn’t want to barge into the middle of what was obviously a heated conversation between her and her father.

“It’s all right, Dad! Come on, where am I going to be safer than with them?”

She hadn’t, Donnie noticed, actually answered the question.

“How about anywhere else?” Mr. O’Neil cried. “I swear, some days I think we should both pack everything up and go…”

“Where?” April demanded. “Where would be possibly go?”

“I don’t know! California? I hear Seattle’s nice? Just somewhere, anywhere, far away from New York!”

He shouldn’t even be hearing this, Donnie realized with a guilty start. He should just go… up to the roof, at least, or back to the lair, or something. But the idea of April leaving was awful enough to keep him rooted to the spot. What would he do without April coming by the lair with her smile and her willingness to listen? What would any of them do? Her smarts and creativity had been a huge help more than once, not to mention that she was starting to get legitimately good at ninjutsu, especially considering she’d started so much later than the rest of them.

“No, Dad, come on.” April’s voice was softer now, soothing. Donnie could hear a muffled noise that might have been a sob, and winced. “I know it might seem safer, but the Kraang could really be anywhere, Dad. Isn’t it way better to be here where we know people who will help us?”

Mr. O’Neil’s voice sounded choked. “I just don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you, sweetheart.”

Donnie really, really was not supposed to be here. He turned to climb his way back up to the roof. The sound of his own name stopped him in his tracks.

“If something goes wrong, the turtles will help fix it. I mean, Donnie saved you, twice, right? Against all the odds. I couldn’t ask for a better friend than that, and I really… I really don’t want to give up that friendship.”

Mr. O’Neil said something muffled enough that Donnie couldn’t make it out. April went on, “We have friends we can count on, Dad, and I can take care of myself. It’s going to be all right.”

Silently, Donnie made his way back to the roof. It was long past time to be gone. He’d send April a text saying something had come up and asking to reschedule; he didn’t want her to remember and worry.

He went knowing he was grinning like a fool, feet light with the knowledge that April cared about their friendship as much as he did.


	7. things you said after you kissed me (Donnie and April)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kissing. Apritello fluff. :)

Kissing is a peculiar phenomenon. You wonder if there’s some kind of evolutionary purpose to it, if it’s a behavior adapted from something more pertinent to survival. There is no denying the cultural significance, of course, and that doubtless does much to invest the physical action of kissing with emotional significance, and yet the action itself remains… strange.

Two sets of lips, pressed together; but dynamic, not static. In other words, moving. Now firmer pressure, now softer; sensitive skin over muscle, lips pucker and slide together, building warmth and friction and pressure. And lips aren’t the whole equation, either. There are also _teeth_ , hard contrast to soft lips, creating another pleasant drag of friction, pressing in to softer flesh (not quite enough to hurt), even pulling.

Oh, and then the tongue. One of the body’s strongest muscles, really, and bringing with it moisture and slickness and heat and more possibilities for motion…

It’s undeniably intimate, the whole act of putting your mouth against someone else’s. Vulnerable, to let their teeth and tongue and strong jaw so close to yours, to let someone else’s tongue into the warm private space of your mouth, to put out your own tongue into the other’s, and trust that their teeth won’t harm you. It’s an act of fundamental trust and intimacy, yes, and you find out things about the person you’re kissing that you wouldn’t otherwise know.

April, for example, tastes like the soda she was drinking not half an hour ago, and like strawberry lip gloss, and as that wears off she just tastes like April, somehow, warm and salty and wet. She kisses you, at first, like she’s on a mission. Her hands feel hot where they sit on either side of your face, and she kisses you firmly, with determination, tilting her head and shifting position until you both find something that works, where her nose doesn’t bump into your face. As you keep kissing each other, she relaxes a little; the kiss gets softer and easier and wetter as your lips part. She’s still the one who first brings teeth into play, nipping at your lower lip, and she’s the one who first presses her tongue against your lips, and then slides it into your mouth. When you try it yourself, she opens up readily for your tongue and makes a low little noise that sets your pulse racing.

 _Practice makes perfect_ , you think giddily. You want to commit every sensation to memory, so you know what to do next time (so you can remember, if there’s never a next time) — the little noise, the taste, the way her hands fall to your shoulders and grip, the smell of floral shampoo drifting off her hair.

But when she breaks away, staring at you with brilliant eyes, it takes you a moment to get your bearings. You’re good with words, usually, but the only thing you can come up with now is “Wow.” You say it again, like somehow that makes it better. “Wow, April. That— You—” You falter, not sure what words will get across what you’re feeling. _Good going, genius. Finish a sentence, already._

April brushes her hair out of her eyes. Her lips are still parted, pink and a little puffy. You can see the edges of her even white teeth, and remember how they felt when she tugged on your lip. Her tongue darts out, swiping across her lower lip. You follow the movement with your eyes, remembering what that felt like, too.

“Donnie,” she says. “Stop thinking so hard and kiss me again.”

Part of you wants to protest that you’re really not thinking that hard at all. The rest of you tells the first part to be quiet. All of you does as April asks, and kisses her again. And again, and again.


	8. Caught (Apritello)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a prompt: Apritello, caught in the act

“You know,” April says, “I’ve been thinking about you all day.” 

“You have?” Donnie says. It comes out high-pitched, and his cheeks immediately darken. “I mean, you have.” 

April smiles, pressing her teeth into her lower lip. It’s true, she has been thinking about him the whole day, counting down the daylight hours until she could get down to the lair. Specifically, she’s been thinking about kissing him, her mind drifting through assorted ways and places and times that could happen. Like, maybe she’d catch him in the lab, sitting in his rolling chair, and she could be the taller one for once, leaning over to kiss him. Or maybe she’d find him fresh from practice, warm and sweaty from effort. 

There were a lot of possibilities, and she’d counted over more than a dozen of them in the course of the day. By the time she’d gotten down here, she hadn’t wanted to wait any more. 

So she’d found him here, in the corridor leading to the bathroom; she’d caught him on the way out, fresh from the shower, it seemed like. 

“I have,” she says, smiling. “Did you miss me?” 

Donnie blinks at her. “Of course,” he says, perfectly matter-of-fact. “I always miss you.” 

He’s so perfectly honest and true that sometimes it takes her breath away. She reaches out and winds her hands around his thick fingers, leaning in. He starts back in surprise, his shell bumping into the concrete wall. “April?” 

“I so want to kiss you right now,” she murmurs. 

Donnie’s eyes dart from side to side. “Here? I don’t know, April, someone might catch us…” 

“So?” 

It’s clear he doesn’t have an answer for that. April waits for a second until the indecision clears from his face, and then leans in and up, rising up on her tiptoes until her mouth finds his. He smells like soap and tastes of toothpaste, cool and fresh. She leans into the lanky solid length of him, her heart pounding in her chest as their lips work together and she presses her thigh against his. 

Behind them, there’s a distinct throat-clearing. Donnie stiffens. April breaks away, ducking her head to hide her flushed cheeks, but she doesn’t let go of his hands. 

“Sensei,” Donnie says, in a constricted voice. 

Splinter sighs, deep in his throat. “Good evening, April.” 

“Evening, sensei,” she says, barely managing to meet his eye before ducking her head again in a nod. 

He sighs again and sweeps past them, into the bathroom.


	9. Put that down (April & Donnie)

“Put that down.”

“But,” Donnie whispered, high-pitched, on the edge of mania, “it’s a state-of-the-art multi-micro-processor with–”

“I don’t care!” April snapped. “We are supposed to be doing surveillance here, not planning how to rob this lab ourselves.”

“Do you have any idea what I could do with that?”

“I bet you’re about to tell me,” April hissed.

Having an argument while infiltrating a science lab in the dead of night was incredibly awkward, but with Donnie in a mood like this – eyes wide with calculation, practically vibrating with excitement – she had to draw the line early and hard.

A muffled boom echoed through the building, followed by the sound of Mikey yelling.

“See? The fight’s started. It’ll be a great distraction, no one will even notice.” Donnie clutched the device to his plastron.

April slapped his big green hands and gave him her best glare. “If the fight’s started, we should go help them, not indulge your kleptomania.”

Donnie heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. But we’re coming back after.” He put the processor down with visible reluctance, giving it a little pat before April shoved him in the direction of the door. The boom of another explosion and more distant yelling at least put a little pep in his step.

April, running along behind him, wondered if she was going to have to break and tell him she’d already ordered him a new one as a present.

Then again, he’d probably be even happier with two state-of-the-art multi-micro-processors.


End file.
